Everyone wants perfect abs, especially during swimsuit season. Beware of gadgets and supplements that promise to make it easy -- good abs require hard work. If you develop a plan and stay committed, you'll see results sooner than you might think -- but everyone is different. Your particular results depend on your goal and how hard you work to get there.
Frequency and Intensity
Your results depend most directly on how often and how hard you work your abs. Doing just a handful of crunches sporadically when you remember to isn't going to get you anywhere -- you need a plan. Depending on what kind of abs you want, you have to perform certain types of targeted exercises consistently, usually about three times per week. Your ab workout should be hard. Those infomercial gadgets that promise you a flat stomach with no effort are a waste of time and money. It's the effort you put in that determines your results.
Six-Pack
If you're chasing six-pack abs, you need to target the rectus abdominus as the focus of your workout. While the obliques and the transverse abdominus are important, too, the rippled surface muscle is what provides definition. Crunches, reverse crunches, V-ups and roll-ups work this muscle directly, and will eventually lead to muscle mass gain that makes your "pack" poke out. The burn you feel after your workout is actually minor muscle damage. When your body repairs that damage, it adds a little extra to protect the muscle for next time. Over time, the muscle growth appears as a six-pack.
Smooth and Flat
If you prefer the strong, smooth abs of a dancer, you must work the deeper transverse abdominus muscle. This muscle doesn't bulk up and won't give you "ripped" definition, but it acts like a girdle and tightens your waist as if you were sucking in your stomach. Pilates workouts are famous for honing in on this muscle, but regular ab exercises work, too. Stability ball pikes, plank and captain's chair exercises, or any exercise that involves folding and unfolding the body, targets the transverse abdominus. Because a tight midsection without bulging muscles requires only muscle strengthening instead of actual growth, you'll notice the results of these kinds of workouts much sooner than someone chasing a six-pack.
The Fat Factor
Of course, no matter how hard you work your abs, you'll never see them if they're covered by a layer of fat. The less fat you carry around your middle, the sooner you'll see results. You can't lose fat from just your abdomen -- you must lose it all over. Moderate aerobic exercise five days per week will help you slim down as you tone up, and eating just as much as your body needs will keep the fat away.
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